Squid Game 2 brings back some familiar faces—including The Acolyte’s Lee Jung-hae as Gi-hun, aka Player 456, as well as the mysterious Front Man, played by Lee Byung-hun. But season two also introduces a whole new supporting cast, which is to be expected since, well… almost all the other characters died in season one.
At a recent Squid Game 2 press day, io9 was part of a group of journalists who got to meet some of the new competitors, with a translator assisting on the interviews.
One thing about season two that viewers will notice is there’s a greater array of younger players this time around. They may be in their 20s, but that’s still plenty of time for them to make mistakes big enough to lure them into the Squid Game.
“I think a bigger presence of the younger generation gives the message that even the youth or the younger generation are not free from financial burden or financial difficulty,” explained Yim Si-wan, who viewers will meet in season two as Lee Myung-gi, aka Player 333.
Myungi is a would-be crypto king whose scheme went belly-up—wiping out all his own money, as well as everything invested by others. When he gets to the Squid Game, he’s unsettled to learn that some of the other players are his furious (and newly flat broke) former clients—but he’s not ready to feel guilt for his part in their ruin.
“To me, Myung-gi is someone who easily passes blame to others,” Yim said. “So when he joined the game, when he encountered people who were hostile toward him, he thought that they failed because of their wrong choices, not because of him. So he didn’t take the responsibility. And so I think that Myung-gi was trying to rationalize or justify what he did.”
One of Myung-gi’s instant enemies is Kim Jun-hee, Player 222, played by Jo Yu-ri. Their situation is made even more awkward by the fact that she’s his ex-girlfriend, and there’s some serious unfinished business between them, even beyond the crypto disaster. Though their characters have drama to spare, both Yim and Jo had upbeat things to say about being part of Squid Game’s big ensemble cast.
“For me as a beginning actress, I took this as a valuable experience,” Jo said. “And to work with such a highly respected [cast], and actors and actresses that I always admired—as a person who is new to the industry, I took this as a very grateful experience.”
Yim agreed. “I feel the same as my co-actor. Our director [Hwang Dong-hyuk] dealing with such a big ensemble cast—I think he didn’t lose control. He always had a firm grip on the cast. And then he tried to bring each character [to life in a way] that they deserve. So I was very happy with the direction.”
He also joked, “I remember the director was actually happy when [a] character got killed, because it meant that one less burden to worry about.”
Another duo in the season two cast has more acting experience under their belts: Jang Geum-ja, Player 149, and her son, Park Yong-sik, Player 007—played by Kang Ae-sim and Yang Dong-geun, respectively.
Both performers credited the time spent on set with helping to build what comes across on-screen as a realistic mother-son relationship. “She was like a real mom to me and taking care of me and showing me that love,” Park said. “And we had six months of filming for season two and that really assisted us throughout this process of collaboration. And of course, there was the one spoonful of directing that director Hwang did that really added to this relationship that we had already built.”
Added Kang, “And I think Dong-geun was able to give me really honest and truthful emotions, so we were able to work synergistically together.”
As for what motivated their characters to separately sign on for the Squid Game—on day one, they’re shocked to find each other there—it’s mostly Yong-sik’s fault, to be honest.
“I think for my character, she is really trying to win this money for her son. So this selflessness, I think, is really what is motivating her because she just doesn’t want the money for greed,” Jang said. “Her thinking of others, this aspect of herself … that is really her strength.”
As for her son, “He really just needs the money,” Park explained. “He’s in a dire situation in which, you know, his organs might be sold [to help offset the money he owes]. His life is in danger even outside of the games because of the debt that he’s in. So he’s really focused on just making that money to be able to pay his debts.”
Meet Players 007, 149, 222, and 333—and many more—when Squid Game 2 hits Netflix December 26.
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